Government Issues

FMCSA removes redundant licensing requirement

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) eliminated a reporting regulation for interstate commercial truck and bus drivers and state licensing offices that has been made redundant by technological advances. Elimination of the regulation will not affect safety.

Put in place by Congress in 1986 before the advent of widespread computerization and shared data portals, the regulation eliminated required commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders to report out-of-state traffic convictions to their home-state licensing agency. The intent was to record the CDL holder’s complete driving record.

Beginning in 1994, Congress directed states to electronically share traffic convictions without repealing the previous requirement. The action maintains the electronic reporting requirements by states, but eliminates the redundant reporting by interstate truck and bus drivers.

The Federal Register notice announcing the FMCSA’s Final Rule on Self Reporting of Out-of-State Convictions is available here.

The report studied recent innovations in transportation practice in New York City, Portland, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Denver, and Charlotte and found that local advocacy and civic engagement were a necessary prerequisite for revitalizing urban transportation.

The 62-36 vote came just a day after a majority of senators balked at approving a motion to proceed to debate on the bipartisan bill, which was negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and James Inhofe (R-OK).